Joe Biden given 'one week to stand down' by Democrats despite Barack Obama defending US President
29 June 2024, 09:44 | Updated: 29 June 2024, 13:22
Supporters of Joe Biden have called on him to abandon the campaign after a "disastrous" TV debate against his opponent Donald Trump.
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Party donors and congressmen have called on the 81-year-old to abandon his run for re-election to the presidency after appearing frozen and muddling his words multiple times during the first head-to-head debate of the 2024 election campaign.
Trump was widely acknowledged the winner of the debate.
However, the President has clapped back at criticism and taken to the stand at a rally in North Carolina.
Mr Biden was met with chants of “four more years” - less than 24 hours after his presidential debate had been labelled ‘disastrous’.
He had been told he has a week to win over the Democrats before they try and get rid of him in the first presidential debate.
Former President Barack Obama has also weighed in on the matter saying "Bad debate nights happen. Trust me, I know."
Bad debate nights happen. Trust me, I know. But this election is still a choice between someone who has fought for ordinary folks his entire life and someone who only cares about himself. Between someone who tells the truth; who knows right from wrong and will give it to the…
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) June 28, 2024
In a tweet, the Mr Obama said: "Bad debate nights happen.
"Trust me, I know. But this election is still a choice between someone who has fought for ordinary folks his entire life and someone who only cares about himself.
"Between someone who tells the truth; who knows right from wrong and will give it to the American people straight — and someone who lies through his teeth for his own benefit.
"Last night didn’t change that, and it’s why so much is at stake in November. http://joebiden.com"
Read more: Joe Biden vows to stay in presidential race as he declares Trump a 'one man crimewave'
However, multiple high-profile democrats have voiced their concerns over Mr Biden's position in the party.
One congressman told Matthew Yglesias, a US political blogger: “I think the president has one week to prove he is not dead.”
David Plouffe, who managed Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign, told CNN: “It’s kind of a Defcon 1 moment…they are three years apart, but they seemed about 30 years apart tonight.”
David Axelrod, another Obama adviser, said: “There are going to be discussions about whether he should continue.”
Mark Buell, a well-known Democratic donor, said: “Do we have time to put somebody else in there?”
Addressing Thursday’s debate, Mr Biden immediately went on the offensive as he told the crowds: “I don't know what you did last night, but I spent 90 minutes on a stage debating with a guy who has the morals of an alley cat.
"Did you see Trump last night? My guess is he set, and I mean this sincerely, a new record for the most lies told in a single debate."
He then hit out at Mr Trump's conviction from last month's hush money trial, as he said: “Donald Trump isn't just a convicted felon, Donald Trump is a one-man crime wave."
He then added he has “more trials coming up”.
"The thing that bothers me maybe most about him, he has no respect for women or the law," Mr Biden added.
The US president also addressed concerns expressed by voters about his age after some of his recent appearances.
Read more: From denying Stormy Daniels affair to arguing about golf: Key moments from Biden vs Trump debate
He is facing calls from a number of Democratic strategists, donors and politicians to suspend his campaign in favour of a younger candidate at this year’s party convention in August.
He said: “Folks, I don't walk as easy as I used to, I don't speak as smoothly as I used to. I don't debate as well as I used to.
"But I know what I do know. I know how to tell the truth, I know right from wrong.
“I know like millions of Americans know - when you get knocked down you get back up.”
He also added: “I wouldn’t be running again if I didn’t believe with all my heart and soul I can do this job because the stakes are too high.”
It comes after Mr Biden appeared to forget what he was trying to say on several occasions during the debate, and at times spoke incomprehensibly - with his own Democrat colleagues expressing deep concern in the aftermath.
Given the ages of both Mr Trump and Mr Biden, the performance and stamina of each candidate was under intense scrutiny during the debate.
It did not take long for Mr Biden to lose his train of thought, as he suddenly started speaking about Medicare as he made a point about taxing billionaires before appearing to freeze.
David Axelrod, who was a top White House and campaign official for former President Barack Obama, said on CNN that there was "a sense of shock" about Biden's performance.
"How his voice sounded. He seemed a little disoriented. There are going to be discussions about whether he should continue".
It would be difficult and very unusual for the Democrats to find a new nominee ahead of the convention, which begins on August 19.
The convention is when the party officially chooses its nominee ahead of the actual election in November.
Current Democrat officials and politicians have publicly rallied around Biden despite his poor performance.
Gavin Newsom, the California governor whom many Democrats tout as a possible replacement, said that the party "could not be more wholly unified behind Biden".
